Putting Kids First at VA Capitol - Action Day Recap!
Each year, thousands of lobbyists descend on the Richmond Capitol to advocate for everything from casinos to marijuana industries, to Planned Parenthood abortion centers to teachers unions. But what about the voices of parents and families who must live with the real-world impact of these policies?
That's where Family Foundation's Capitol Action Days come into play. Through these events, we bring parents and families to the table, amplifying their voice on Capitol Hill. We hope the recap of these events encourage you as much as they did us:
Kids Deserve More Day
As the session kicked off with legislators debating bills impacting kids' education, more than 100 parents, students, and local school leaders from around the state challenged their legislators for more education freedom–the freedom to choose which school best their meets their needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all system. "We're not about worshipping the brick building," said Lt. Gov. Winsome-Earle Sears, surrounded by students at the Kids Deserve More Day press conference. "I heard in the Senate Subcommittee on Education the other day that the public schools desperately needed to be funded. You know what I didn't hear? That the children's education is in desperate need of funding. This is not about the brick building. It's about the children."
Braxten Lawrence, a 14-year-old student, agreed, telling reporters that he started attending a private school after his parents became concerned about the public schools staying open during COVID. Now, "I feel very safe," he said, "and I don't have to worry about drug usage, bullying, any fighting in the bathroom." After the press conference, participants filled the hallways, asking legislators to prevent thousands of kids like Braxten from being yanked out of schools where they are currently thriving—because of efforts to cut or end Virginia’s only opportunity scholarship program (Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credits). Thankfully their voices were heard and the program was left unharmed this year. The day finished with an impromptu meeting between students and the Virginia Attorney General, Jason Miyares.
Parental Rights Day, AKA, Mama Bear Day
With strollers and toddlers in tow, a crowd of mama bears—and papa bears too—arrived at the Capitol as key parental rights legislation crossed from one chamber to the other in February. "We are asking—actually, we are demanding—that our parental rights not be ignored,” said Newport News mom Rhonda Williams.
The message was clear: Whether it’s drug overdoses at school, traumatic exposure to explicit content, or sexual agendas pushed to first graders—these parents are tired of being cut out of the process. Delegates Mark Earley and Nick Freitas also spoke passionately about the dire need for legislators to respect the fundamental parental rights already protected by both the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions.
That resonated deeply with Doug Bottoms, a Fairfax-area dad, who shared how a transgender-identified guest explained to his 6-year-old son—and other first-grade students in the class—"aspects of transition from a man to a woman… how he used to be a boy with short hair, that he used to be one of the students’ dad, but now he was the student’s second mother.” This happened despite the fact that Doug and his wife had taken pains to proactively opt their child out of sex education, including LGBT-related topics. “There remains zero accountability for educators in our school system,” he said.
After the press conference, the parents covered more than seven floors of legislators, urging them to respect and involve parents, rather than treating them as a mere afterthought—or even worse, as enemies to the education process. “A parent must be assumed as the child’s greatest protector,” said Victoria Cobb, President of The Family Foundation.
Parents' voices made a difference, resulting in media coverage highlighting the need to notify families when drug overdoses happen at schools, as well as parents' efforts to protect their ability to weigh in on explicit content. To hear the Delegates' and parents' powerful testimonies on Mama Bear Day, watch the video below:
